Perfection is a Lie
by firewindgurl
Summary: Bloody wounds always go away but they leave permanent scars. Neji knew Hinata wouldn’t be able to heal quickly, but he took the chance. After all, nobody is perfect. [nejihina]
1. Forgetting is Harder

Perfection is a Lie

Author: Hey there! Thanks for reading my new nejihina story. well I had a lot of people help me with this story and I thank them. I think they know who they are hehe. Well please enjoy!

Summary: Bloody wounds always go away but they leave permanent scars. Neji knew Hinata wouldn't be able to heal quickly, but he took the chance. After all, nobodyis perfect. (nejihina)

CHAPTER 1:

FORGETTING IS HARDER

"_I want to forget, yet I cannot forgive..."_

It was a horrible day. She remembered her heart beating fast when she saw Neji carry his dead body silently to her house. It was a bloody sight and, though she had treated many people in the hospital bloodier then this, _his_ body almost made her faint. She sat silently and waited until Neji would tell her what happened. Oddly, he didn't. He sat frozen and his eyes showed a cold sadness that Hinata couldn't quite comprehend. Hinata had to ask him herself. It was a stupid mistake...

That was a week ago. Hinata stood alone in the empty house of hers. It's funny really how someone can just disappear and become a distant memory in an instant. Just like with her, it was what became of Naruto. The memory slowly turned into a far memory and became something she only saw in her dreams. Hinata would cry when this happened. She didn't want to forget him and she wasn't going to.

Her eyes were cast down as she stood motionless in front of her refrigerator. Reality hit her. There was no one to cook for anymore. He was gone…her fiancé was gone..._Naruto _was gone. Hinata covered her face with her dry and withered hands. All this week she had clean the whole house three times to keep her thoughts away from Naruto's death but it didn't work. She was going to clean her home again but Ino and Sakura made her promoise not to when they came over to check up on her.

She was never able to stop thinking about Naruto; not when she was young and not even now after his death. She sacrificed everything so that the two could get married but in the end it didn't turn out all well. Hinata remembered what Neji had told her the night before she was deciding to leave the Hyuugas for her marriage with Naruto.

_"Hinata…sacrificing yourself for love is useless. There are never happy endings in tragic love stories like those..."_

Hinata fell on her knees, falling hard on hard tile of the kitchen floor. She remembered how much she wanted to prove Neji wrong. There _were_ happy endings in sacrificial love stories. _She _would get a happy ending. She would sacrifice anything and _everything_ to prove Neji wrong that she and Naruto would get a happy ending. That's what she promised herself.

But it all turned wrong that night. There wasn't a happy ending at all.

Hinata remembered the heavy rain that engulfed Konohagakure as Naruto left their home, which was far away from the Hyuugas. They refused to talk to their ex-heiress who left the Hyuugas for the Kyuubi man. She remembered how Naruto's cerulean eyes stared into nothing and how he was emotionless as he opened the door outside.

_"Naruto...are you going to finish your dinner?" she asked right before he took a step into the raining village. He kept quiet and Hinata felt the tension in the air._

_"Hinata-chan…I…" he took a breath and turned around. He smiled and flashed her a thumbs up. "I'll be gone for a mission but save my dinner okay? I can't miss out on your tasty dinner! I wouldn't forgive myself if I didn't finish it. It'd be a waste of food."_

_Hinata smiled weakly. "H-Hai…" That meant he wouldn't be staying for dinner. That happened a lot recently. Naruto had been going out late in the afternoon and coming back in the middle of night. At first Hinata thought that he was having an affair but when she looked at him, he didn't show any signs of a cheating guilt. He just looked unusually depressed and Hinata decided it was because of the recent death of Sasuke. _

_"This mission…" Naruto drifted off. "Hinata, this mission is very important. I'm going to be going into the front line of the war." _

_Hinata let out a small gasp. "W-why?"_

_"Tsunade-baachan's orders." He answered, with a small smirk. "The war with Sound is going crazy. But don't worry, I'll be fine. I'll come back, Hinata." He reassured. Hinata's stomach tightened and her hand held her fork firmly._

_Naruto had already gone by then but Hinata stood out of her seat suddenly. Her eyes were cast down and her hands began to shake. "Don't go, Naruto...!" She said, but no one was there to hear her. Except for **his** broken soul…_

_-_

_I shouldn't have let him go,_ She thought to herself. Hinata couldn't handle it anymore. Her throbbing heart was aching too much. Losing Naruto was like losing her life and Naruto _was _her life. "Na-Naruto…kun…" she cried. Her tears ran down her pale cheeks and stained her beige colored jacket. Naruto had used to always tell her to stop wearing the jacket because he told her that she looked more beautiful without it. Hinata remembered how he would never stop looking at her and how he would get the reaction of a cherry colored blush and a stuttering Hinata. But now, nothing mattered. There was no one to look at her that way and smile, making her blush. No one to reside in this empty house that Naruto took forever to pay for. No one to cook a dinner for and eat with laughter and stories of that day. No one to…no one to fill the empty gap that now existed in Hinata's broken heart.

Hinata was interrupted in her thinking when she heard someone knock on the door. It was as if a memory from her mind pushed her legs up so that she would stand. At first she walked slowly, but then desperation and pain reached her unstable mind and her walk turned into a run. _Naruto…? Naruto is it you? _

She remembered how he would always come late at night and knock a few times at the door. When Hinata would answer, he would smile warmly at her and say he's back and he would tell her not to worry. Hinata reached the door and didn't care to catch her breath when she turned the golden knob that creaked as it twisted. "..Naruto!" she yelled as she opened the door. It wasn't him. "…_Neji…!"_

"Hinata-sama." Neji stood surprised in front of Hinata. She panted loudly as her eyes caught his. He could see she was still not over Naruto's death. But of course, how did he expect her not to? She was in love with him and love was never one to die easily. "I came…I came to check on you."

Hinata took a breath, her hands clutching her heart which began to ease and return to its normal rate. "Oh…I'm fine."

Neji's gaze turned to the floor. He wondered if she would let him in, but she made no attempt to say anything. "May I...come in?" he asked embarrassingly. He felt like she didn't want him in.

"Yes, of course." She said, holding the door for him.

Neji sat on a small couch and took a look around. It wasn't a big house. There were only two rooms and at first one was always empty. Hinata and Naruto used to always sleep on the same bed until Naruto began his "depression" state. He started to sleep in the other room since then.

"What have you come here for, so late in the night?" she mumbled in a low voice.

Neji felt like an unwanted stranger. "I told you, I came here to check on you."

Hinata looked away and nodded slowly. She pressed her lips against each other and didn't face Neji.

"Hinata, how have you been ever since Naruto…well…" he didn't want to bring Naruto up but Neji couldn't help it.

"It's been okay." She answered.

Neji knew she was lying. He wasn't one to be naive to these feelings. "I'm sorry, Hinata."

Hinata thought he had said that because he couldn't save Naruto. She knew it wasn't Neji's fault and she wondered why he would be apologizing.

"I'm sorry for not supporting you at all through your hard times. I was…" Neji rested his hands on his thighs as he sat up straight. "I was a stupid fool. Forgive me."

Hinata looked up to meet Neji's pearly white eyes. It was the first time Hinata saw Neji so guilty and miserable. She nervously looked at Neji and then back down to her feet on the floor. "N-Neji-kun…please…please don't look at me like that. Y-you're…you're the only kind one to me in the Hyuugas. You don't need to be apologizing."

"No, Hinata, I must. I don't deserve to be standing in your house. I've never done anything good to help you and because of that I feel terrible." Neji stood up and put his hands on Hinata's shoulder. "Hinata, there _is _one thing I can help you in."

Hinata looked up surprisingly at her cousin. "What…what are you talking about _Neji?_"

"I'm getting you back into the Hyuugas."

Author: Okay, well I hope you liked this chappie. Please review it. I had a hard time trying to put **_feeling _**into this chapter and trying to make it sad. Sadly, I feel it wasn't accomplished. I don't think I made this chapter sad, _sob sob_, yeah. But please review and give me some pointers if you have any.


	2. Self Invitation

CHAPTER 2:

SELF INVITATION

Author: Well, thnx everyone for reviewing my first chapter! im very happy. :D plz read and review this one! Thnx!

"_If a child has only seen anger, will the result be that the child grows to become an angry person…?" _

"I'm going to get you back into the Hyuugas." Neji repeated, his voice more stern. Hinata's eyes were slightly widened. It was an impossible action.

"H-How…?" she squeaked.

"Well, tomorrow at night, the Hyuugas are going to have a meeting concerning the new heiress of the Hyuugas. Hinata…" Neji looked deep into her eyes; his showing a tint of disappointment. "They say you've disgraced their clan. Hiashi-sama has disowned you and they don't want your name to be brought up because of your marriage with Naruto."

Hinata looked away from Neji. If her name wasn't supposed to be even brought up, then coming in contact with her would be worse. "Neji…perhaps you should just leave me be. This matter can become dangerous."

Neji stood still. "I will not leave you, Hinata. I may be foolish but…" his snow colored eyes allowed regret to take over. "I will never forgive myself." He muttered. "The Hyuugas don't want to admit it, but they need you Hinata. Hanabi is still to ignorant and I highly doubt she will make decisions for the better of the Hyuugas but for herself. Hiashi-sama is nearing his last breath and no one else can take the family name."

"You, Neji." Hinata mumbled. "_You _take the name."

Neji choked. His eyes enlarged for the moment. "What are you saying Hinata-sama?"

"I don't want to be the heiress." She covered her face with her hands. "I-I can't do it. I'm a disgrace, Neji and I'm still not over Naruto's death. How can I possibly _take _the name of the family that _disowned _me?"

Neji struggled with his words. He knew she wasn't ready but he was doing this for her sake. He didn't want her to struggle, financially or emotionally. If she somehow came back to the Hyuugas, then they would supply her all her needs and eventually they would find a good husband for her if she was the heiress again. The Hyuugas wouldn't take her in easily, but with desperation and the coming war along with the soon to come death of Hiashi, Hinata was the only one left. Neji closed his eyes and reflected a conversation he had once had with Hinata.

"_If a child has only seen anger and pain, will the result be that the child grows to become an angry…?"_

"_It's possible, Neji-niisan, that he will grow to become the one thing he has only seen. But there's a possibility, that if he realizes that anger __**brings**__ pain and suffering, he will do everything in his power to not become that state." Her eyes met his. The two creamy white colored eyes mixed together and Neji could feel his heart throb loudly as she spoke in a gentle voice. "Fate does not decide everything, niisan."_

"_I suppose…" Neji kicked his feet up and squirmed a bit at his nervousness. He looked away from Hinata and hoped she didn't see his crimson colored face._

"_Naruto…" Hinata muttered. "Naruto-kun is like that. He's seen so much sadness brought by anger. That's why he hates it when he's in that state. He never lets sadness take over him. I believe that's why he's so strong…" a small shy giggle fell out of Hinata's lips. "And why I fell in love with him…"_

_**We're different, Naruto and I. He fought the anger; I became what I saw. He understood what the consequences were of it; death, loneliness, the feeling of being left behind. I didn't. I knew nothing. **_

_**Hinata loved Naruto because of this.**_

_**And that meant she could never love me. **_

"You, too, are like that, Hinata-sama." Neji said out of the blue.

Hinata slowly dropped her hands. She was confused.

"You fight so that you do not become sad, or lonely. Or at least, I _know _you used to be that person. Right now, Hinata-sama, you are very lonely yet you do not fight it. You are engulfed in it right now. Perhaps…" Neji touched Hinata's rough hands. He remembered how soft they used to be. It pained Neji to see her like this. "Perhaps if you were to come back, you'd be much happier."

Hinata raised her eyes. _Happier…?_ Her rough hands began to shake and she could feel voice becoming rough. "_Happier, _Neji-niisan? Y-You think I'll become _happier _going to the Hyuugas?" She took a deep breath. "I-I left the Hyuugas to become happy. I don't think going back will make me happy."

Neji sighed deeply. "Hinata-sama…I-I don't know what to do but, please at least consider coming to the meeting. I suppose I should go now then. If you want to talk more, tomorrow I took a day off from the ANBU for the meeting. I'll be in the Hyuuga compounds if you need anything." He got up and opened the door. He was surprised how fast night fell upon Konohagakure. "I'll see you tomorrow then, I hope." With that, he left Hinata to herself.

Hinata bit her lip and covered her face with her hands. It was too fast for her...too much. She didn't know if she could handle it all. _I-I'm sorry, Neji-niisan…_

The next morning, Hinata woke up very depressed. Her eyes were a light red from all the crying the night before. She staggered into the kitchen and got a cup of water. Slowly, she drank the cup until it was finished. _Naruto-kun…_ Hinata closed her eyes and thought about her conversation with Neji. _What should I do…?_

Ding-Ding –Ding! Hinata turned her head towards the door. Someone was repeatedly ringing the doorbell outside. She tiredly went to open it and was surprised to see it was both Sakura and Ino. They had large smiles on their faces and were panting heavily.

"Hinata! Well, Ino and I were planning to go through the market and get some groceries. Wanna come with us?" Sakura asked. She wore a red ribbon on her head that tied up her hair.

"A-anou…I'm not sure…" Hinata looked away. There wasn't anyone to get groceries to get for anymore. She no longer needed to buy for two people.

"C'mon. I'm sure you need to go shopping for food, right?" Ino spoke up. "Plus, it'll give us some girl-to-girl talk."

Sakura winked. "Yeah, I mean, do you need to spill any delicious secrets?" she giggled. Ino nudged her in the ribs, causing Sakura to choke a bit. "I-I was joking! Actually, I meant to say that…well, since Naruto is gone, do you need company?"

Hinata grabbed her other arm and nervously looked to the ground. "I-I can't burden you guys with this…"

"_Burden?_ Hinata, you're our _friend_. It'll never be a burden! Hey, you know what? I heard Temari's in town. We can get her to come and do our _girl _talk too! And let's ask Tenten! It'll be fun, Hinata. We can do an all girl's sleepover! Yeah!" Ino smiled warmly.

"T-That does sound fun." Hinata forced a smile. _Anything to stop thinking about Naruto's death…_ she thought to herself. _That means I'll miss the meeting though. W-Well, its not like...like I want to become the heiress again. Neji-niisan was just flattering me yesterday. The Hyuugas don't need me. _"Okay. L-Let's do it then."

Sakura and Ino squealed happily. "I'm so glad you're moving on, Hinata." Ino laughed. Sakura smiled at Hinata. "Most people take time to move on. Well, we'll save the talking for later. Let's go to the market!"

Hinata nodded. "I-I'll get dressed…"

The three girls walked along the market of Konohagakure. Ino's and Sakura's bags were full while Hinata's wasn't as much.

"Let's find Tenten and Temari, neh?" Ino said, looking around for the two.

"I don't think they'll be in the market. Tenten is probably out training and Temari is probably on a _date with Shikamaru-kun!_" Sakura laughed. Hinata smiled lightly. It was hard having fun when you were just faking it.

"Oh that's right! Shikamaru _did _say he had something to do. Haha, the two are probably at Ichiraku Ramen! Shikamaru _is _a cheap guy. Let's go there first!" Ino yelled happily, making her way towards the ramen stand. Sakura and Hinata followed her.

Sakura waited until Ino was a bit farther then the two until she decided to start a conversation with Hinata. "Um…Hinata-san."

Hinata turned her head. "H-Hai?"

"I-I was wondering…." Sakura tensely fumbled with her fingers. "D-Do you get lonely with Naruto…_gone?_"

Hinata kept quiet. "Why do you ask?"

Sakura laughed nervously to herself. "N-Never mind. It's-It's a stupid question. I'm sorry, Hinata."

"It's okay, Sakura." Hinata smiled at her friend. "There's no need to be sorry."

"Actually…" Sakura's gaze fell towards the ground. "I feel bad…" Hinata confusingly looked at her. "Y-you see…I…well…." She looked at Hinata and then to the ground again.

"What is it, Sakura?" Hinata put her hands on Sakura's shoulders. "Is there something wrong?"

"W-Well…" Sakura shut her eyes tight. "You see, when we were in the same team, I knew Naruto had a crush on me but I-I always ignored it." She blurted.

"It's okay. We were all young back then and ignorant."

Sakura sighed. "I guess. I'm not a good friend, Hinata. I-I was never a good one. I should've been there for you when Naruto was gone. I think I was also traumatized at the matter so I ignored everyone around me. Now I feel bad because now I realize that I wasn't the only one suffering. _You ¸_Naruto's fiancée, was suffering just as much, weren't you Hinata?"

"What's taking you guys so long?" Ino yelled at the two. "Look, I see Shikamaru's big head! Let's go!"

Sakura giggled. "Ino being herself as always! Let's go, Hinata!" she said cheerfully as she grabbed her friend's hand and ran up to Ino. Ino was already barging in on Shikamaru's date.

"What the hell! What're you doing, _Ino?_" Shikamaru said, nervously looking at Temari who seemed dumbfounded at Ino's sudden appearance. "G-Gomen ne, Temari."

"Ha ha, it's okay, Shikamaru." Temari laughed, making Shikamaru blush madly. "What's up, Ino?"

"You know, you shouldn't hang out with Shikamaru so much. His laziness can rub off you. Hinata, me, and Sakura are gonna have a sleepover where we can talk about "girl" stuff. Wanna join us?"

"Sure." Temari smiled. She looked at Shikamaru who had an annoyed look on his face. "B-But…well, Shikamaru offered for me to spend the night at his place, you know with his parents. I don't wanna-"

"It's okay." Shikamaru scratched his head. "Go. Besides…" two pink circles formed around his cheeks. "Y-You can meet my parents later, I guess. And Ino would probably kill me later if I didn't let you go."

"Well, we're heading to Hinata's place right now, if that's okay with you, Hinata." Ino turned her head to look at Hinata. Hinata nodded in agreement.

"Yes. My place would probably fit the four of us since I don't have…um, anyone else living there."

"Okay. Yeah, so, sorry to interrupt your guy's date but wanna come and find Tenten with us, Temari?" Ino asked.

"Um, sure." Temari got up and pushed her bowl of ramen aside. "It was a…nice date, Shikamaru-kun. Mind if we continue another day?"

"Sure, that'd be cool." Shikamaru leaned towards Temari and glanced at the three girls who watched intently. He kissed her on the cheek and turned crimson red. "See you later then, Temari." He said, getting up out of his chair. He paid the chef and got out, leaving the four girls to themselves.

"Ooh, Shikamaru _kissed _you, Temari!" Ino teased. "He must _really _like you. You know the usual him, always criticizing girls and all. But I guess he can tolerate you. Maybe he just likes older girls." She said, laughing.

Temari rested her hand on the cheek that Shikamaru kissed. Her face was bright red. "L-Lets just go and find Tenten already!"

Hinata giggled to herself. _Temari seems in love…_ Her eyes fell as she started to feel a small bit of sadness. She remembered how Naruto would always kiss her on the cheek before he left towards his mission after he became an ANBU. _Naruto-kun…_

"So, Hinata-chan. How's it been? I haven't talked to you in ages." Temari patted Hinata's back. "What happened to your hands? They're all rough and dry."

"I-I was cleaning…the whole house." Hinata mumbled.

"Yeah! You went overload! Good thing Ino and I stopped you. Temari, you should've seen her, I swear. She practically turned the whole house all over and cleaned it through and through until every speck of dirt was gone!" Sakura said amazingly.

"I-It was only three times…" Hinata muttered embarrassingly.

"Omigod. Hinata, that's a lot! You better not work so hard! Hey, how has your work in the hospital been going?"

"Tsunade-sama allowed Hinata to rest this month after…_his _death. Usually that's rare since we have a war with Sound but she was also close with Naruto and understood the emotional pain that Hinata was going through since they were…going to get married." answered Sakura.

"Yeah, I'm really sorry about Naruto. I couldn't get to speak to you after his funeral. Really sorry." Temari said sadly. "Gaara wanted to go back to Sunagakure so bad after the ceremony. Kankurou and I didn't really understand why until we caught him crying to himself in his office. It's odd really to see him cry, but I guess Naruto really understood him and was his first friend."

"Whoa. Even _Gaara _cried. See, Hinata, you're not alone." Ino comforted.

Hinata forced a smile. "Thanks…" Inside though, Hinata didn't really want to talk about his death. The reason she came was _not _to think about it.

"Oh yeah. I heard Tenten was out training with Lee. You think there's a romantic relationship going on between them?" Temari asked.

"T-Temari…!" Ino lightly punched Temari in the shoulder.

"What? Did I say something wrong?"

"Don't you know?" Ino glanced at Sakura. She silently whispered into Temari's ear. "Sakura and Lee just broke up! After…you know who died, Lee decided to give Sakura some space, you know to recover."

"You mean, after Naruto died?"

"No…_Sasuke-kun_."

"Oh, sorry. I didn't know that. Hey, it's hard hearing the latest stuff when I'm all the way in Sunagakure." Temari defended herself. "But, yeah. That's where Tenten is."

"Okay. Let's go then. But hey, what about Neji-kun? Shouldn't he be with them training?" Ino asked.

Hinata paused a bit. _N-Neji-niisan…_

"No, isn't he in the ANBU? He's probably doing an important mission right now." Sakura answered.

"Iie…he's not." Hinata answered. "H-He said…he said he was in the Hyuuga compounds today."

"Wonder why he's not in a mission. Especially with this war going on."

"Well, there are other ANBU members too." Sakura pointed out.

"Hey there's Tenten!" Ino yelled. "Wow, I sure am sharp today!"

Tenten was smiling at Lee and laughed a bit. Lee also smiled back, touching her shoulder lightly. It was easy to see from Lee's lips that he was talking about her improvement. Sakura looked away from the two.

"Hey Tenten! Over here!" shouted Ino.

Tenten turned her head. "Ah…! Hey what are you guys doing? Having a reunion and not inviting me, eh?" she laughed. Lee caught a glimpse of Sakura and looked away.

"That's the point! Wanna join us for a sleepover?" Ino asked, no longer yelling as she neared Tenten and Lee.

"Sure. That'll be awesome." Tenten looked at Lee and smiled. "Well, see you Lee."

"Hai. You too Tenten." He awkwardly walked away but it was easily obvious that he had something on his mind. Finally he turned around and forced a smile. "A-Anou…ohayou, Sakura-san."

Sakura turned a light pink. She glanced at Tenten and Lee. _Maybe they're dating each other…_ "O-Ohayou, Lee-san."

Lee's face lighted up a bit and scratched his head. A real smile rested on his lips now and two rather large pink circles formed on both his cheeks. "Oh, and Hinata, say hello to Neji-kun for me."

"Hai."

"Eh, Tenten….are you and Lee…an item?" Ino whispered along with Temari.

"Ahaha, no…never. We're just teammates." Tenten chuckled at the thought of them being an _item_.

"Anyways, Sakura and I will head off to our place to put back our groceries. You guys can tag a long with Hinata to her house." Ino explained. "See you guys there, okay?"

"Sure." The three girls yelled. They began to make their way towards Hinata's house.

"Hinata, you live really far." Temari commented as she wiped a sweat off her face. "How come?"

"W-Well…the Hyuugas don't want me near them." She answered.

"Why is-" Temari winced as Tenten pinched her arm. Tenten shook her head at Temari, pretending to smile in front of Hinata. Temari gasped slightly and coughed. "N-Nevermind."

It wasn't long until the three girls came across the Hyuuga compound.

"Neji-kun must be in there. Let's say hi." Tenten suggested. Hinata bit her lip and shook her head.

"Actually, they're having a meeting right now."

"Oh…oh yeah that's right. Ha ha, stupid me. I forgot. Neji told us that earlier." Tenten playfully hit her head.

"Well, shouldn't _you_ be in there, Hinata? _You're _still a Hyuuga." Temari said. "They can't just kick you out and pretend you're _dead_."

Hinata gulped. _Should…I…?_ She looked above where the sun was now setting. "A-anou…Temari, Tenten. Actually…I have some business in the Hyuugas to take care of. Tenten, you know where my place is. C-Can you two go ahead? I'll catch up."

"Sure, Hinata." Tenten answered, catching the key to the house thrown by Hinata.

Hinata watched her friends walk a few feet away from her until she actually ran into the Hyuuga meeting room. _I-I'll only stop by for Neji-niisan. Yes, that's right._ As she approached the room, she could hear a familiar voice arguing against the council.

"Iie. I will not step down until I get what I want. I understand I am being selfish, but this is for the sake of the Hyuugas too, Hiashi-sama."

_Neji-niisan..! _Hinata widened her eyes and gasped lightly. She hesitated to open the slide door.

"Neji! You are an honorable member of the Hyuugas but please, do not act so childish. _Hinata_ chose on her own to leave the Hyuugas. We did our part to disown her."

Hinata winced. _Chichue…_

It wasn't long until a bickering among the present Hyuuga members started.

"She's a disgrace! Why let her back in?"

"She chose that _man_ over her own clan! What did she think she could gain?"

Neji suddenly snapped back at the harsh voices. "I do no ask much of the Hyuugas. It's rare that I will ever raise my voice against the clan…but…but this is intolerable. All of you must understand that she was _once_ your heiress."

"Once, Neji." Said one woman with a sly grin. Her lips were dark red from her lipstick. Her name was Haya, a lady who lived almost as long as Hiashi-sama and who was quite clever. "And it's ironic that you are talking upon that _woman's_ name. You, the boy, who almost killed her in those exams."

"You are correct but back then I was a _boy_." He answered back.

"Why do you want to bring her back so much, eh, Neji?"

"Why should we listen to you! You are still of the branch house!"

Hinata couldn't take it anymore. Hearing those awful words against her only caring relative. She slid open the door as her hand trembled awfully.

Everyone turned their heads. Neji took a breath and looked at Hinata's eyes. A sense of relief came over him. _So she did come…_ he thought happily to himself. "Hinata…sama…"

"What are _you _doing here!" Haya asked, her voice sharper then usual.

Hiashi-sama stared at his daughter. It had been months since he had seen her. A part of him wanted to run up to her and show his affection for she _was _his daughter. But another part wanted to scold her and yell at her. "Hinata…what are you doing here?" he asked coldly.

She shut her eyes tight and opened her mouth, only to say nothing. Her voice froze. She was scared and she would admit it to anyone. "A-Anou…"

Neji turned towards the council. He fell on his knees and rested his forehead on the floor, his hands out. "I…I beg of you. Please…please allow Hinata-sama back into the council. She will help them. I know she will. I say this with all of my heart. I will even step down from my position in the clan so that she will go back in. Please…" he voice begged sternly.

Hinata horridly watched as her cousin belittled himself. He didn't need to this. He was worth more then this. "Ne-"

"Neji-san." Hiashi whispered. He looked at his daughter and at his nephew. Hiashi disappointedly looked at Hinata. "There is no need for you to do this." He finally spoke.

The council shifted their heads to look at Hiashi.

"It's true the Hyuugas need a successor. I will let Hinata back in but you needn't give up your position. _Unlike Hinata_, you bare an important role in this clan. If you believe that much that Hinata will help the clan then I will allow her in on one condition."

Neji looked up at his uncle. He was ready to take on any consequences.

"She is _your _responsibility. I'm not saying she is immediately the heiress again. If the council and I find her…still useful then perhaps we will consider it. But if she does _anything _to disgrace the clan again…" his voice choked a bit. "Both you _and _Hinata will be disowned."

"H-Hiashi-sama." Neji sat up. "Arigatou."

"But-" the Hyuuga members began.

"That is all." He announced. He coughed slightly and made his way out of the meeting room.

Everyone followed him out, glaring viciously at Hinata. "Tch. This is an outrage." It wasn't long until it was just Neji and Hinata alone together.

"Neji-niisan…I didn't ask to come back…"

"Then why did you come?" Neji asked, getting up. He stood in front of Hinata.

"I-I…" She looked at her feet.

"I'm glad that they let you back in. We need you." Neji remarked. _And I need you…_

"Neji-niisan…!"

Neji placed his finger over her lips. "Don't worry. I'll be here with you. Where you stand, I will stand. I will protect you. When people murmur about you, I will be there to stop them. I'll be with you…" he reassured.

Hinata didn't understand a lot of things. She always wondered why birds would sing even when they were caged. She wondered why the rain would continue pouring upon the earth continuously until it felt relieved. She wondered about many things. But right now, she wondered why her cousin would do this for her. She felt two arms embrace her and she could hear her cousin's heart beat furiously. "Neji…I have to get back." She said, pushing him away.

"Hai…"

With that she ran back to her home, her face flushed red. Why was she so harsh…? Why was she so scared?

"Hinata! You're late!" Sakura yelled as Hinata entered her home. Hinata pressed her back against her door and took a breath.

"G-Gomenasai…"

"What's the matter? You're all red." Sakura asked, touching Hinata's cheek.

"I…I don't know." She answered. _I don't know at all…_ Hinata took a breath. "W-Well, I'm sorry for being late. Hey, where's Ino-chan?"

"She said she suddenly felt ill." Sakura answered. "What a party-pooper. Oh well, we can still hang out without her."

"Yeah, I guess." Hinata mumbled. She went over to the kitchen where she saw Temari and Tenten opening some snacks. "Temari, what's wrong?"

The blonde smiled weakly at Hinata. "Oh this…?" she pointed to her cheek which was a pinkish red. "Just a rash."

Hinata nodded but was in disbelief.

Funny, _rashes_ didn't look like _**bruises**_ at all.

Author: Hey there. Hope this chappie wasn't too…boring. Eek. Well plz review and tell me what you think okays? Hehe, well see you in the next chapter:D


	3. To End Selfishness

CHAPTER 3:

TO END SELFISHNESS

Author: Yessh! I have updated! Mwuahahhaha. :) lol. Yeahs I dunno whats up with the mwuaahahahaha's and me nowadays. Lol. Well thnx for reading! Please review after you are done! Thnx! Much appreciation bows politely LOL.

"_We are humans, thus we cannot help but feel this twisted feeling of wanting. **Selfishness** is a natural feeling that you cannot fight off. It's always there; always living yet never dying..."_

Hinata slowly opened her eyes, which became blinded by the bright light from the window. She slept between Temari, Sakura, and Tenten. They all slept closely together. Hinata quietly got up and went into the bathroom to clean herself up. She grabbed her toothbrush and began brushing her teeth.

_Its morning already…_ She thought to herself, as she lazily spat out into the sink. _I wonder what I should do now? I should talk to Neji-niisan…_ Hinata suddenly blushed as she remembered what Neji did yesterday, hugging her tightly. She remembered his fast beating heart beat.

"Hinata…" mumbled a tall blonde behind her.

"Oh, Temari. You're awake."

"Yeah." She answered, lazily scratching her head. "Is it okay if I take a shower?"

"Oh, yes. It's fine." Hinata answered.

"Thanks." Temari smiled, walking out of the bathroom, only to be stopped by Hinata.

"A-Anou…m-may I ask where you got your _rash_ from…?"

Temari was dumbfounded and paused. "W-Well…some bug just…bit me." she answered, forcing a smile at Hinata.

"Are you sure it's a rash…?"

Temari sighed. She turned around to face her friend and put her hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry 'bout it, okay?"

Hinata nodded in a reply. There was something going on here that Temari was hiding from her. She cared a lot for Temari but it was none of her business. When she went back into the room, both Tenten and Sakura were awake, yawning loudly.

"That was a nice sleep." Sakura commented, stretching her arms into the air. She slightly closed her mouth to stop her yawn. "Did you sleep well, Hinata?"

"Hai. I did."

Sakura smiled and looked at Tenten, who was still half asleep. Tenten hugged her pillow and closed her eyes. "Too early for you, Tenten?"

"Well, we _did _stay up late last night. Too bad Ino wasn't there. Oh well. Her own fault." Tenten joked. "Hope she's alright though."

"I'm sure she is. Well, I have to go to Tsunade-sama's office today. I should get going." Sakura said, getting out of the bed and tying her hair up. She went into the bathroom to clean herself out and made her way towards the door.

"W-Wait…may I go with you, Sakura? I have some business that I need to talk with the Godaime." Hinata mumbled as she quickly got dressed and put on her shoes.

"Sure. I'll wait outside then."

Hinata turned to Tenten. "I'm sorry that I have to go but this is a bit urgent. When Temari's out of the shower, can you tell her that Sakura and I are out?"

"Okay."

"And if you guys want breakfast, I have some stuff in the refrigerator."

"Don't worry. We won't stay long." Tenten smiled as she waved goodbye to Hinata. Hinata smiled back and ran outside where she and Sakura walked towards the Hokage's office. Tenten rested her back against the door as her eyes drifted to the floor.

-

"It's a surprise to see you here, Hinata-chan." Said the well-known blonde woman as she patted her student's back.

"O-Ohayou, Tsunade-sama." Hinata smiled at the Hokage, slightly bowing.

"What brings you here?" she asked as she went to her desk to straighten up some papers.

"A-Actually…I wanted to talk to you about something…" Hinata nervously looked at Sakura and back at Tsunade.

"O-Oh, I see. Sakura, would you mind waiting for me outside?" she asked the pink haired kunoichi, who obediently followed. Once Sakura was out of the room, Tsunade sat down and rested her chin on her folded hands. "What is it?"

"A-anou…well…firstly…a-actually, I need advice on something." Hinata embarrassingly said as she took a seat in front of Tsunade.

"Well, I'm pleased to give you advice. What is it on?"

"Y-You see…yesterday…the Hyuugas had a meeting…and…"

"Oh yes. That's right. Neji told me about it this morning."

Hinata slightly jumped out of her seat and widened her eyes. "N-Neji-niisan…told you…?"

Tsunade smirked playfully a bit. "I'm sure he'd like it if you called him _Neji-kun_ and yes, he did tell me. He seemed quite happy about it though. What's wrong with it, Hinata? Don't you want to be back into the Hyuugas."

"…a burden." Answered the heiress. "I realized that that's all I am and will be to them. And I don't want to be that. That's why…I came to ask advice. Going back into the Hyuugas would be…very hard. But I understand I can't run away forever."

"Hinata-san, I suppose you've thought this over a lot. I cannot make your decision for you, if that's what you want. But, I'm sure that if you think you'll only be unhappy in the Hyuugas, I believe you may be wrong." Tsunade slyly smiled. "People become scared of trying new things but if they never try new things, then they will never grow. Living in the past is not something good. I learned that a long time ago by a certain someone."

_Naruto-kun…_ "H-Hai…I understand." Hinata said as she got up from her seat. "I guess I'll be going now. Oh and…the second thing I wanted to talk to you about was that I'd like it if I could start working at the hospital again."

Tsunade looked up at Hinata shockingly. She couldn't say no since they needed as much medic nins possible but she knew Hinata would overwork herself and perhaps become more stressed out. She hesitantly nodded and agreed to Hinata's proposal. _The village must go first._ Tsunade thought to herself.

As Hinata left the room, Sakura came in. Before the door was closed again, Hinata could hear Sakura speaking firmly to Tsunade. "Tsunade-sama. I have some urgent news that I was just told. The team of shinobis you sent earlier were ambushed but were saved in the knick of time by Shizune-san. They're in critical condition."

"Which team is that?"

"Nara Shikamaru's team." Sakura said. She was suddenly startled by a surprised gasp.

"W-What…! S-Shikamaru's team?"

Sakura turned around to see a worried Temari, panting heavily as sweat fell down her face. "T-Temari…! What are you doing here?"

"Tenten told me that you guys went to see the Godaime and I realized that I needed to go there too to report that I'm going back to Sunagakure. But…but what about Shikamaru-kun?" Temari asked, barging into the room.

"Shikamaru's in room 207 right now in the hospital, if you want to see him. But he's currently unconscious …maybe you should visit la-"

"No!" Temari yelled, interrupting Sakura, her voice beginning to tremble.

"Here, Temari. I'll come with you to the hospital, lets go." Hinata said firmly, grabbing her friend's hand as they ran to the hospital. She could tell Temari was worried. "It's okay, Temari. Don't worry."

Temari only nodded slowly, her mind revolving around Shikamaru's condition. "T-Thanks, Hinata." She mumbled.

It wasn't long until the two reached the hospital which was crowded with medic nins coming in and out. Hinata managed to get to the front desk to sign in. "Temari, you go ahead to room 207. I'll sign in for both of us." She called out to the blonde. Temari nodded as she ran into the hospital room.

Dang it Shikamaru!_ Geez, almost getting yourself killed like this..! _The tall blonde rubbed her irritating eyes as she continued running through the halls. She eventually came to the 200 areas where she began to slow down and walk. No one was there. The hall was completely dark and quiet. Temari became reluctant to turn the door knob in fear of seeing Shikamaru all bandaged up and injured but she took a breath and turned the knob. There was nothing to fear in reality. She wouldn't love him less.

"Shikamaru, you idiot."

Someone was in there. Temari stopped dead in her tracks. _A familiar voice…_

"Getting yourself hurt like this. Do you know how troublesome this is!"

Temari opened the door slightly to see who the person was. Those clothes, that voice, those yellow strands of hair that flew gently as the wind passed by. _Ino-chan…!_

Ino sat on the bed, watching her teammate sleep peacefully as his body was covered in bandages. "Tch, the nurse said you were hit on the head pretty bad and then your body got torn up by those sound nins." Her voice was soft and gentle. Ino brushed some hair off of Shikamaru's face. "Why did you have to go and do that, hm…? Don't you know how worried I was …!"

Temari winced as Ino began to tear up. She couldn't watch it anymore, her friend crying so hard. Temari closed the door and began wandering the dark halls. Those tears reminded her of the night before.

_:X_

_"I'm thinking of breaking up with Shikamaru." Temari's black solid eyes stared blankly at bag of chips that Ino held. _

_"What? How come?" Ino asked, setting down the bag and sitting next to the other blonde. "I thought you were in love with him?"_

_"I am. But we're both ninjas and we both can die any time in a mission. What would the other one do if one of us died? I really do love Shikamaru but I don't think I can handle losing him."_

_"Shikamaru…Shikamaru really likes you, you know. He talks about you all the time. I don't think you should break up with him." The kunoichi looked away from Temari, a bit irritated. _

_"Well, I've thought it over for a long time and I've made my decision. I have to do this before it gets too serious." _

_Ino suddenly turned around in her seat, slapping Temari hard on the cheek. Temari winced from the sudden attack, her cheek beginning to throb in pain. _

_"W-What was that for!" _

_"You…you idiot." Ino squeaked. "You're so…! You're so dense, Temari! You probably don't understand what you've done to Shikamaru. You changed him in a positive way. I know you did. Because…because I've always been watching him." _

_Temari lightly gasped. "Oh…oh, Ino. I never…I never knew…" _

_Ino guiltily looked away. "I'm horrible, I know. Inside, even though I knew Shikamaru was deeply in love with you, I was jealous. You made him turn his head just to look at you. He never looked at me that way. I annoyed him. So, to ease this feeling, I tried to look at the situation in a different way. Maybe if you made Shikamaru happy, then I'd be happy too. But now, hearing this, I-I can't hide it anymore! You're acting like-like Shikamaru's feelings are a **burden!** You may think its stupid, but to me…I've wanted it all this time. I've always wanted Shikamaru's affection."_

_"Ino…y-you have it wrong." Temari nervously patted her friend's back. "I'm sorry that I was like this. Maybe if you'd have told me earlier…about your feelings for Shikamaru then…"_

_"Then what! You speak like it's so easy but its not!" Ino allowed tears to escape her eyes. "Shikamaru belongs to you, I hate to admit it. But it looks like you're hesitant to give him yourself. I…I can't even stand looking at you!" the blonde kunoichi hastily got out of hear seat and headed out the door. "I've always envied you, Temari. Now…now I realize that it's grown. Right now, I hate you." She said, slamming the door shut._

_"What's wrong with her?" asked a curious Tenten who had just come out from the bathroom._

"_I heard yelling." Commented Sakura, who had come in when Ino left. "How come Ino's going?"_

_"It's nothing…" Temari sighed, leaning her chin on the palm on of her arm. "I was just being really stupid…"_

:X

It was time to face what she was running from. Temari finally brought herself to go into Shikamaru's room to face Ino. The yellow blonde turned abruptly when she heard the door creak open. Her eyes narrowed slightly when she realized who it was. Ino got up, blushing from embarrassment and ran past the Sand nin, pushing her to the floor.

"Wait…Ino…!" Temari yelled, trying to stop her friend. It was too late. Ino was already gone. She turned around to face Shikamaru who was breathing softly with the help of an oxygen machine. "Shikamaru…what should I do?" she aksed, touching Shikamaru's rough hands.

:x

Ino ran out of the hospital, her head down as she fought back tears. It wasn't fair. It was never fair. She had given up Sasuke for Sakura's sake throughout the years only to realize it didn't take away the pain. And now, with her feelings so strong for Shikamaru, she would have to give him up for Temari's sake. No…no she wouldn't. She had to fight for his love.

But it was only one-sided.

And Ino knew that. She fell on her knees as she covered her face with her arms. "What am I supposed to do…?" she mumbled. "What am I supposed to do!" she repeated, this time her voice becoming louder.

"Ino…"

Ino turned around to see a familiar face. She rubbed her azure colored eyes and wiped away her tears.

"Wanna come with me to go eat?"

"_Sure_…" the kunoichi sighed, sniffing loudly. "Let's go then, _Chouji_."

The Akimichi member smiled widely, allowing his white teeth to show. "Okay. And maybe you could tell me why you were crying while we're walking."

Ino was tempted to say it was nothing but she wanted someone to be there…no, she _needed_ someone to be there. "Arigatou…Chouji." Slowly, she pushed herself up from the floor and slightly leaned herself against the big body next to her. It was nice to have a friend like Chouji who would always be there when you needed him. A content smile appeared on Ino's small pink lips. It was….so comforting.

:x

"…Hinata-sama…" muttered a certain Hyuuga member, his long ebony hair slightly blowing in the breeze. "Where's Hinata-sama?"

"Hinata…? Oh, she went to see the Godaime." Said Tenten as she munched on a piece of toast as she and Neji sat alone in the kitchen of Hinata's home. "Along with everyone else." Chuckled the girl.

"Oh. I see." Neji turned his head to look around Hinata's house. "Hm. Well, I'll be going now then. Remember to lock up before you leave. This _is _Hinata-sama's house, not yours. So don't be so careless."

"I-I'm not careless!" Tenten defended, throwing an apple from a fruit bowl at Neji's head. "You should know I have perfect aim, _Neji-kun_." She giggled.

Neji ducked and caught the apple. "And you should know I have perfect reflexes. I'm not here to play, Tenten. I have important business with Hinata-sama. Now, like I said, I'll be going now." He said as she shut the door abruptly .

"You're so stingy, Neji." Tenten mumbled to herself. She put the toast down and leaned her chin against the palm of her hand as she began making invisible circles on the counter. "You're so naive…"

Neji quickly rushed to the Hokage's office, ignoring the fact that his heart beated unusually at the thought of Hinata going back into the Hyuugas. Everything was going well. It was all going to be okay now. There was nothing to fear anymore…

Except the truth itself.

The prodigious ANBU member shuddered at the thought of that. _The truth…_ he thought to himself. _It sounds so dangerous. The truth is the one thing that can ruin one's life. Was it better to live a life full of it or live a life of lies where everything and everyone was protected? But lies could never be buried too deep. The truth was like an army of shovels which would dig deep for pitiful lies and uncover them, whether or not they protected someone or not. To be protected with lies…what a laugh._ Neji smirked at himself. _But that's what's protecting her right now. She's surrounded by lies…and it's everyone's fault…especially mine._

"Hinata?"

Neji slightly jumped back by the look painted on the Godaime's face. It was surprise…and doubt. "Tenten said she came here. Is that not true?"

"Oh. That's right. She left about an hour ago." Tsunade swirled around in her seat, facing the window. "To the hospital…with Temari. It was because of an ambush."

"Ambush? Oh, you mean Nara Shikamaru's team."

"Yes. Oh and Neji. Hinata said…she said that she wants to go back to working in the hospital."

Neji kept quiet. _I was afraid she'd make that decision…_ "I see. Well, I suppose we can't do anything about it." He turned around to go out the door.

"That's exactly what I thought." Tsunade chuckled. "I've been thinking lately. Hinata…she's a very strong person. To lose the person you love more then anyone else in the world because two countries can't end a dispute. At times I feel responsible for the reason she can't be herself anymore; always smiling when she's actually crying. Trying to be strong when inside she's so tired. When a person tries to be someone they aren't…they start to think their life is meaningless. What's the point in living a lie? They'll probably think. And as the days come and go, while everyone is coming home to a happy family they come home to an empty house. Soon they begin to think, what's the point in living? When you've been broken in the worst possible of ways, you can't break any more and its time to end it all. End it in the most easiest way..."

"I understand!" Neji interrupted, his eyes bulging out. He could feel his heart beating furiously. "I…I understand…Tsunade-sama. But please…please don't come to the conclusion that Hinata-sama will…will do that. I want to help her…!" he pleaded. "I want time to…" He stopped himself.

"Time to what?"

"…to heal her." He said, finishing his sentence right before running in the way of the hospital. It was odd. He never realized how much he understood what the Godaime was talking about. He never realized that that was how he felt all his childhood. But after he met Hinata and spent more time with her, everything changed. He found something to protect, something to live for. And it was then that he began fearing for his life. What if he came back dead? What would happen to Hinata-sama? Who would protect her?

**_"Naruto-kun…"_**

Neji shook his head as he forced her voice out of his head. Of course. There was Naruto. He would always be there for her. And that was when he was going back into his shell. After she left, there was no one to welcome him home anymore.

No one to care for him.

Neji stopped as he realized he had reached the hospital already. Now, to find Hinata.

"Neji…kun. I-Is there something you need?"

That voice. That small voice. "Hinata-sama." Neji gasped slightly. Instead of finding her, Hinata found Neji. "There's something I want to talk to you about."

:X

"Shikamaru really is an idiot!" Ino yelled as she sipped her sake with no hesitation. She slammed the small cup down on the table and grabbed a piece of beef. "He can't even defend himself!"

"I-Ino…don't you think that's a little harsh?" Chouji nervously laughed. He slowly bit into his piece of meat.

"He…he was so ignorant. Never even realizing that…that there was already a girl that was worried about his stupid ass in battle." Ino's voice lessened and she sighed hopelessly. "Always looking towards Temari's way, never towards mine. He's always speaking about her too. It's so wrong, isn't it! ISN'T IT?

"N-Not really." Chouji shrugged. "If Shikamaru's found a girl he can tell others about because he really likes her…is it really criminal?"

"Geez, Chouji. _Cooperate_, will you? You're supposed to be comforting me, not going against me. And you make me become _more _envious of Temari." Ino bit the top of her chopsticks in embarrassment. "She doesn't realize how much she's got it good."

"So then do you hate her?"

"What?" Ino surprisingly jerked her head.

"Do you hate her? Temari-san, I mean." Chouji cleared his voice.

"No! No, of course not. I mean…there are sometimes when I say really mean things about her but I don't _hate _her. In fact…I look up to her. I've _always _looked up to her, you know." Ino confessed. "D-Don't go saying this to her or anything but…yeah, it's true."

"Then why are you letting someone like Shikamaru get in between your friendship? Maybe…maybe you should move on." Chouji nervously suggested.

"Ah! I've already went through this! You remember! With Sasuke-kun! I gave him up for Sakura's sake…but it just hurts more to give up something you really wanted."

"I know it does. It hurts a lot."

"What? How would you know Chouji? What, you gave up a piece of meat or what?" she asked, stopping herself from laughing hysterically.

"No. I…I gave someone up a long time ago but I realize that I'm still in love with her, even if she never notices me." Chouji sheepishly admitted.

"Who's that? Sakura?"

"Iie...I-It's you, Ino." Chouji mumbled as he threw a piece of meat into his mouth.

"C-Chouji! Don't kid with me!" Ino said, slapping her teammate on the back so that the meat flew out. "C-C'mon Chouji…"

"I'm not kidding…!" he blushed. His fists were curled into a ball while his face turned deep red. "I'm not…I'm not the best looking guy! I'm fat…ugly…a pig and weak too! But…but if you'll give me a chance, Ino! Then…then I'll change. I'll change for you."

Ino shot back in her seat, her face blushing madly. "C-Chouji…! W-Will you s-stop it already…? G-Geez…I don't need to be f-flattered or anything." She stuttered. That's weird. When did _she _ever stutter?

Chouji grabbed her hand. "Give me a chance."

The blonde held in her breath. "I-I don't know what to say…or do Chouji. W-Why didn't you tell me…earlier…?" she winced as she remembered those very words. _Temari…_

Chouji forced a smile. "Heh, gomen ne, Ino-chan. I-I didn't mean to surprise you…b-but…you don't have to answer so quickly. If you're still in love with Shikamaru, I understand. You two are my friends; I don't want you guys to get hurt."

Ino wiped her eyes. A sudden urge to let go of all those tears she was holding flew into her system. And so…she let go. She let go of all of them; her past, her desires, her pain. "Chouji…! Chouji, you're too kind…!" she muttered as she allowed the water from her eyes to escape. Letting go was very hard, but at least now, she knew she wasn't and _wouldn't_ be alone. "You…you shouldn't be asking for the chance. _I _should. Give _me _a chance, Chouji. Will you?"

He only smiled warmly at her. "Ino…_you're_ the kind one." He mumbled into her ears as he held her hand and comforted her.

"I'll change for you Chouji. I _will_. I promise."

:X

"I'm a bit scared going back to the Hyuugas." Hinata admitted as she sat down on a bench with Neji sitting next to her. "But when I think about it, I'm not sure _what_ I'm scared of. Is it chichue? Or…or is it the whole family members. I…just don't know."

Neji took a breath as he looked up at the skies. "I understand what you're going through. Because…because there is something, I too am afraid of."

Hinata gave him a funny look. Neji? Being afraid? That was almost a laughable statement.

"I'm scared of…of the truth. And the past. But most of all…of losing you." He stretched his arm and ran his fingers through the ends of her hair.

Hinata slightly shifted herself at his words that brought nervousness. "N-Neji…y-you're making me blush."

He smirked playfully and got up, sighing to himself. "What is _your _decision, Hinata-sama?"

"I want to…I want to try. If I keep running away, there will be a time where I can no longer run. I don't want that to happen. I want to keep moving on, even if it's bit by bit, step by step." She answered, staring into her cousin's eyes.

Neji drifted_ his_ eyes away. "I'm-I'm glad." A smile was painted on his lips, though it was a very mysterious one. "Shall I help you move in tomorrow?"

"A-anou…"

"I'll take that as a yes." He stated jokingly as he made his way towards the Hinata's house. Hinata followed him, staying not too far behind.

**_Someday…I'll have the courage to move on and not stick to the past. Someday, I'll be strong, Hinata-sama. Someday…_**

Author: End! Lol. While I was writing this, I was **so **tempted to write: And so they went home to Hinata's house, only to see Tenten _still_ eating breakfast.

LMAO. In case you didn't get it, it's like early evening right now and Tenten was left behind at the house and I was thinking, what in the world happened to her? Haha. Sorry for this **randomness**. And sorry Tenten for not adding you a lot. X) anyways, PLEASE REVIEW! Thanks. Oh and sorry if there were mistakes. See u in the next chappie then! ;D


	4. Cleaning Up the Past

CHAPTER:

CLEANING UP THE PAST

Author: hi:D. this is chapter **three **of **perfection is a lie**. : yups! Please review after u are done reading! And thnx for taking the time to read this story! Hehe. ;)

"**I don't want to forget how it feels with you standing here with me…"**

It was quiet.

Hinata sat still as she sipped her cup, watching her cousin from the corner of her eyes. He sat still as well with a straight back, his eyes closed as if concentrating on something in the back of his mind; perhaps a memory. "A-Anou Neji would you like some more tea?" she asked.

Neji flashed his eyes open and politely refused. "No, I'm fine, thank you." He answered, sipping the last of his tea. Thinking of something to break the silence, Neji opened his mouth and tried to start a conversation. "H-Hinata-sama…would you like to start…moving the boxes now?"

Hinata's eyes drifted towards the floor. "H-Hai." She mumbled as Neji nervously got up from the awkward silence to put his cup in the sink. He then made his way towards her room. It was early morning when Neji had gotten to her home. The two had then worked together to put her things into boxes. Of course, Hinata handled her _personal _items while Neji handled the rest.

"I'll start taking out the boxes."

Hinata nodded and then too put away her cup. She followed him into the room and to carry a box. She was quite curious as well as confused on how they were going to bring _all_ of the boxes all the way to the Hyuuga complex. It was going to be quite tiring.

"Hinata-sama, I'll carry the boxes." Neji said as he heaved a heavy box onto his back. "You go over what items are in the boxes…just in case you find any unnecessary thing."

Hinata nodded and watched as her cousin left the room. Hesitantly, she found herself going through a box that she had promised herself to forget…_Naruto's _stuff. She opened the sides and took out some of his things. There wasn't much but still, secretly, she had cherished every one of them. Hinata took out a white shirt in which Naruto had worn but never washed and she chuckled a bit. Sniffing the shirt lightly, as bad as it stunk, she couldn't get enough of his fragrance.

And then she felt like crying.

Hinata put her hands over her mouth and squinted her eyes. She told herself she wasn't going to cry…she_ promised_ herself that she would no longer ever since the day after his funeral. But Hinata couldn't help it. "N-Naruto…k-kun…" she mumbled in pain to herself. _I-Iie…I-I mustn't cry…!_ Hinata cleared her throat and rubbed her eyes. _What if Neji saw me…? No…I must be strong._

She put down his shirt and looked through the stuff once more. All she had found was a few bandages, some paper, a ripped envelope with a wrinkled piece of paper inside, _clean_ socks, and two pictures. One picture had been of his old team. Hinata giggled slightly at how young they all looked. Kakashi was quite handsome back then. Naruto looked very childish and Sakura looked beautiful as always. And then there was _Uchiha Sasuke_. He had that cocky look painted on his face as always. The other picture that she had found was of Naruto and herself. The two were smiling and Naruto had his arms around hers.

"Hinata-sama…" Neji panted as he leaned against the door. "Have you gone through the boxes?"

Hinata abruptly threw Naruto's items into the box and sheepishly looked at Neji. "A-Anou…"

Neji sighed to himself. Running his hands through his hair roughly, he gave Hinata a sympathetic look. "Hinata-sama…are you…are you going to be okay?"

"Of course…of course I will, Neji-niisan." She answered, quickly getting up and rushing past him out of the room.

"Where are you going?" he asked, grabbing her arm before she left his sight.

Hinata bit her lip and stuttered awfully. "I-I'm g-going to…to…" She hated it when she couldn't think up of a lie quick enough. As quick as he had caught her, Neji let go of her arm.

"I'm not and will not be forcing you to do anything, Hinata-sama. But, I _would _like to…to do this together if that's okay." He looked her straight in the eye. "But is that what you want?"

_What you want…_ Hinata looked away from Neji and sighed depressingly to herself. "I'm sorry Neji…for being so weak. But…but I don't know if I can really pull this off. I don't know anything anymore. I'm starting to think I _can't_ do this…!"

"No matter the situation, my words stand true. I'll be here with you Hinata-sama. I'll be right here…" Neji muttered softly.

There it went again. Hinata could feel the blood in her veins pump ever so loudly. Her face got all red and she was flushed. "N-Neji…niisan…w-why do you say this? Why do you keep saying these things to a person like me? I'm…I'm no one special so why do you keep…"

"Because you are Hyuuga Hinata; the heir to the Hyuuga households and _my_ Hinata that I was born to protect." Neji's voice choked a bit when he said "_my"_ but he continued on. "I was born to protect you. And for once in my lifetime, I am glad that fate had its way like this."

Hinata quickly stared surprisingly at Neji. _His? I am his to protect…?_ Again her face turned bright red and she backed up. "Neji…when you say things like this, I…don't know what to do."

"I won't take back my words." Neji said quietly.

"You sound…a bit like Naruto-kun…" she forced a small laugh. With that, she went towards a box and lifted it up into her arms. Silently, Neji watched her as she turned his back against him. All he could see was the back of a suffering woman; suffering from grief. And so, he followed her actions and carried a box. _His_ back was of a man suffering of one and _only_ one thing; _guilt._

-

The house was a small one. It stood silently next to Neji's small house. The reason he didn't move to a bigger one still made Hinata wonder. For Neji, it was plain and simple. That was the house he grew up in, the house he was born in and the house he shared with his father. Any other house simply would not do for him.

"Is it…to your liking?" Neji asked as he set his box down on the empty floor of the house.

"It's small…but I like it. It's cozy." She smiled warmly at him. Hinata wiped her forehead as a drop of sweat slipped down from her face.

Neji chuckled a bit. "I told you you would get tired. I'll do the carrying from now on." He patted her head gently and began making his way back towards the house. Hinata followed him back. She stared at him secretly as he walked calmly.

_Had Neji always been this tall?_ Hinata thought to herself. Was his hair always so elegantly smooth and ebony black? Her eyes were hypnotized at him. Why had she never noticed these features of him before?

"Hinata-sama…are you okay? You look dazed."

Hinata snapped into reality and shook her head. "O-Oh, that's not it. That's not it at all. I-I'm sorry…"

"Ha, its ok." He smiled warmly.

Hinata could feel herself blush a bit. Was Neji's smile always this…_handsome_? She shifted her eyes from his face and quickly went into the house where she could settle her oddly beating heart.

Neji followed her in and grabbed a box. "I'll be back soon. Hinata. Wait for me."

Hinata nodded and watched him as he left. _Wait for me…_ such familiar words…

-

"_Hinata! Wait for me!" a loud blonde yelled as he waved his hands into the air at his fiancé. _

_"O-Okay Naruto." Hinata giggled as Naruto disappeared into the bushes. _

_"Cover your eyes! I have a great surprise!"_

_Hinata did as he said and she covered her hands with her eyes. _

_"And no using Byakugan!" he yelled, making Hinata chuckle loudly. "Okay, you can open them now!"_

_Hinata removed her hands and opened her eyes. She gasped with awe and clasped her hands together. "Oh, Naruto!" There, in Naruto's hands was an oddly shaped crystal in which the name Hyuuga Hinata was engraved.. _

_"It's pretty crappy looking." Naruto nervously laughed. "But I kinda made it myself. I hope you like it." He smiled as he planted a kiss on her cheek. _

_"Oh, Naruto, I love you." Hinata said as she wrapped her arms around Naruto. "I love you so much…" _

_-_

Hinata went into her room to look for the crystal. Where had it been all these years anyway? She opened a box with her personal items and looked through them. Humming to herself, she carefully went through the boxes. "Oh, there it is." She smiled to herself, as she took the crystal out. "Wow, it's been so long." She ran her fingers through the engravings on it. "How about we wash you?" she mumbled as she went into the kitchen with the crystal.

She put the crystal under the flowing water of the sink. Hinata smiled contentedly at herself as she allowed the water to run through the sides of the crystal. It wasn't long until it was done being rinsed. She laid it on the kitchen table under a towel. "There we go."

"What's that?"

Hinata turned around to see Neji, who had been watching her clean it. He looked back at Hinata and at the crystal. "Oh, its just a crystal. Hm, I'm going to get something to polish it with. I'll be back, Neji." She said as she went into a room for the polisher.

Neji scratched his head slightly. A crystal? He had to admit, it was very beautiful, although it was poorly made as you could easily tell by how the edges were slightly bent. He picked up the crystal gently and touched the words Hyuuga Hinata on it. _Hinata…_ It must've been custom made for her.

Silence.

There was no sound in the room and Neji found himself drifting off into a memory as he stared blankly at the crystal. A memory of that deceased man. _Naruto_.

_"Neji, I love Hinata. Let me be with her." He had told him with a stern face. He said he loved her…yet why was Neji still in disbelief. _

_"I won't let you take Hinata. She needs to stay with the Hyuugas."_

_"Neji! What power do you have over Hinata? What makes you think you can make decisions for her? Hinata…Hinata loves me. And I love her. So…please, I need you to help us. Help us…**please**…"_

"Neji…!"

Neji gasped slightly and let go of the crystal. Like a crack of lightning, the crystal broke into hundreds of pieces. The loud and shuddering sound still echoed through the house and echoed even louder in Hinata's head. Her face was horrified as she trembled a bit. "H-Hinata-sama…I-I'm sorry. I was being careless."

Hinata took a breath and walked towards the broken pieces. They lay shattered and the pieces were jagged and deformed. Or had it always been like that?

"Please, let me help you." Neji offered.

"N-No…no, its ok. I can do it myself. I'll pick up these broken pieces myself. Please…just let me do it."

Neji sighed in disappointment at himself. "I'm really sorry. What was it anyways?"

"W-Well…it was from Nar-" Hinata stopped herself before she said the name. "I-It was a simple gift that's all. N-Nothing…nothing too precious. It's just a gift that I c-came upon. Nothing s-special a-a-at all…" she stammered. A deep feeling gnawed at her chest. It hurt so much. Before she realized it, tears were streaming down her face and she started to sniff loudly. "P-Please…Neji…c-can…can I be l-left alone r-right now…?"

Neji nodded reluctantly. He stood quiet as he watched her rough hands pick up the pieces of the crystal. _She didn't want to say it…but it was from Naruto…_ He bit his lip. _Why couldn't I had been more careful? _He scolded himself. "Hinata-sama…I'm sorry. I didn't know that it was so important." He received no reply from the crying Hinata. "I suppose I should…go and carry the boxes now. I'll be back soon. And again, I'm sorry Hinata…"

Hinata only kept quiet as Neji walked into the room to grab a box. She hadn't even noticed the shut of the door as he left. All that she could think about was the broken gift. Dabbing her eyes lightly with her sleeve, she got up and threw the pieces into the trash. There was no point in keeping the broken pieces. If she kept it somewhere, she would only end up cutting herself with the jagged ends.

Silently, she reflected what had happened as she sat still on a chair in the kitchen. _Broken. Maybe it represented her and Naruto's relationship. It was broken now. _Hinata mused. Sighing to herself, she leaned her chin against the palm of her hand. She then thought about Neji. She wasn't quite angry with him, it was a simple mistake. As much as Hinata kept pondering about how she was feeling, she just couldn't get angry with him. It wasn't his fault. And then she realized, Neji hadn't come back yet. It had already been more then thirty minutes. What if he left to leave her alone because he had felt bad? What if he blamed it on himself?

Hinata stood up quickly and ran out the house to find Neji. She hoped he didn't feel guilty. She hoped that he wouldn't think that he did it when it was really a simple mistake. As she opened her mouth to call out his name, Hinata was suddenly startled by a pat on the back.

"Hinata-sama….are you okay now?" there stood Neji, looking down on her with those white pearl eyes. A small gentle wind passed them by and his long black locks flowed quietly with the wind.

Hinata gasped slightly to herself and turned her back against him as her heart tremendously beated. "A-Anou…I am now."

"I'm sorry Hinata-sama." The Hyuuga man apologized once more.

"You needn't apologize. It was a mistake." Hinata turned around to face him and rubbed her eyes. "I-I was crying for nothing. And it's not your fault. You've done so many things for me, Neji. T-Thank you…"

Neji's eyes drifted towards the floor as he put a hand on her shoulder. "I do need to apologize. Please…_forgive me_ Hinata-sama."

Hinata looked at him, a bit startled. "Of course I forgive you Neji-niisan."

Neji smiled weakly at her. He smirked slightly to himself and made his way towards the house. "Thank you Hinata-sama. I…I needed that." He muttered.

It wasn't long until night approached Konohagakure. Neji tiredly walked along with Hinata towards her new home with the Hyuugas. They had finished carrying boxes and Neji could feel his back aching. "As a small celebration for you moving, how about you come over to my house and I cook something for you, eh Hinata-sama?" he chuckled.

"You? Cook?" Hinata giggled a bit, covering her mouth. "How about _I_ cook for the both of us?"

"Hm, but I want to congratulate you." Neji playfully ruffled Hinata's hair as he put his hand on the top of her head.

"Well, I am quite curious about your cooking. Are you sure you're okay with cooking?"

"Of course." Neji smiled. "I've cooked many times, though none can compare with your cooking I suppose." Hinata laughed as the two soon reached Neji's house. "You can sit down and make yourself comfortable. I'm going to get some ingredients from the store."

Hinata nodded as she looked outside the window at the sky. A small curve formed on Neji's lips as he watched Hinata.

"I'll be back soon." He reassured as he left the house.

The Hyuuga heiress stared outside. A dark black blanket had fallen over the sky and you could barely see the stars. It looked like it was going to rain tonight. Hinata hoped that Neji wouldn't get wet. She suddenly had an urge to go outside. The reason was unknown but she went anyways. Hinata grabbed an umbrella from the closet and went outside. She found herself going back towards her own house and she suddenly realized why she had wanted to come back. The rain and that unmistakenable memory of that dark day. It was just like that day Naruto had been announced dead…the day that he was brought to Hinata in such a bloody sight.

Before she had known it, Hinata was at her house as it stood alone in the sudden downpour of a horrible rain. Memories flooded her head; Naruto as he motionlessly laid in her living room as he bled severely, Neji and that terrible look painted on his face. She didn't know if it was the rain or her own tears, but water fell from her eyes as the umbrella slip through the palms of her hand. She didn't want to leave. This was her home…this was_ Naruto's and her _home.

It wasn't long until Neji came back to his home to see an empty house. He knew where Hinata would be. Quickly, he began running towards her direction. The rain fell terribly…just like that horrible day.

"Hinata!"

Hinata didn't turn around as she already recognized the voice. "I can't do it…"

"Hinata-sama…" Neji walked up to her. "You're all wet."

"Neji…this was our home, Naruto's and mine. I can't just leave it. I _can't_." Hinata mumbled.

Neji wrapped his arms around Hinata as the rain slammed against their skin. "Hinata-sama…we've gone so far already."

"Neji…! I…I…I don't know what to do. I don't want to forget Naruto…I _don't!_" she cried as she buried her face into Neji's chest.

"Hinata-sama. I know it will be hard…but with time, it will become easier." Neji held Hinata tightly as she continued to cry. "And Hinata-sama…I have something for you."

Hinata looked up at Neji surprisingly. "…what…?"

He took something out of his pocket and gave them to her. "I know they're not much, but for an apology for breaking the crystal earlier, I wanted to give this to you, since I know you like gardening." He handed her a bag of seeds. "These are…"

"…white violets…" Hinata finished in an astonished tone.

"You know them…?"

Hinata nodded and blushed madly. "N-Neji…oh Neji!" she pushed herself against Neji as she began crying one more, not from pain but from happiness.

_"Hinata, I got you flower seeds." _

_"Oh, Naruto you shouldn't have." A small smile rested on the Hyuuga heiress as she watched her fiancé walk in and show her his gift._

_"Haha, I know but I love you so much. Let's plant them together later. They're called **white violets…**_"

Neji patted Hinata's back. "Let's go back now. You might catch a cold." Hinata nodded as they walked together in the rain back to home. "You're shivering everywhere. Hm, I suppose we should change our dinner which I had all planned out into some chicken soup."

Hinata chuckled as she leaned closer towards Neji, feeling his warmth emanate from his body. "No, I would rather taste _your_ dinner then soup _Neji-kun_…" She smiled to herself in content as she realized that she would much rather call him Neji-kun from now on.

Neji looked back at Hinata a bit in astonishment that she called him Neji-kun without her reminding him. Two pink circles formed around his cheeks and he put an arm around Hinata to hold her. "Okay, _Hinata._"

_**Let's take a chance on happiness…just the two of us…**_

Author: Okay. I updated:D. lol. And by the way, the quote at the end deals with the flowers because I read somewhere that white violets mean 'Let's take a chance on happiness' or something like that. Well thank you for taking your time to read this chapter, which I think might've been pretty boring, and please review to tell me what you think! Thank you:D oh and I apologize if there was too much flashbacks. Eeks. Well thank you for reading! Hehe.


	5. Salvation

chapter 5:

salvation

_**Sometimes we do the things we do for the sake of our future selves. We do them for salvation, we do it for mercy. **_

Her eyes were like fragile crystals falling from the sky. When her eyes would meet his, Neji would stay captivated and averting his eyes would be most difficult.

Hinata was like a morning rain shower, filling his empty glass full of laughter and bliss. Neji could hold her forever; he would never let go. But writhing away to someone else, Hinata would force him to let go of her fingers. Neji wanted to burn her image into his memory and then drown himself in her scent. He wanted nothing more than that and could ask for nothing else.

Neji breathed heavily as he leaned against a tree. Sweat ran down his face as he wrapped bandages around his arm to his fingers. It had been a month since Hinata had moved back into the Hyuuga compounds, and Neji had busied himself with getting her adjusted. It was his first time in a while training by himself. Tsunade-sama had allowed him a month off from ANBU duties for the sake of Hinata, however this was all he had. It was imminent that he went back to ANBU.

"Neji-kuuun!"

The Hyuuga prodigy turned around to see a young woman with Chinese buns in her hair run towards him. "Ohayou, Ten-ten."

"Training again, hm? Its good to see you working hard. Lee-san and I just got back from a mission earlier this morning. We don't see you around anymore." Tenten pouted.

Neji drew his hand up to wipe the sweat off his forehead. "Yeah, I've been busy. How is sensei and Lee?" he casually questioned, as he gathered his stuff into a bag. Throwing them against his back, Neji began to make his way back to the compounds as Tenten followed eagerly.

"They're great. Lee is getting strong, but he's still dorky. Mmm, what are you doing later?" she asked, her face turning a light pink.

"I'm taking Hinata-sama out to lunch." Neji answered, his fingers pushing back his hair from the light wind. He looked ahead of the road and had a slightly embarrassed look as he realized he made it sound as if he was "_with"_ Hinata. Mouthing the words again, Neji blushed and shook his head. "A-ah…would you and Lee want to join?"

Tenten sighed quietly to herself and shook her head. "Iie, I guess I should be going now. Ja!" She jumped a couple feet away from the prodigy and looked towards the ground. "Ne, you're getting what you what aren't you Neji?"

Neji shot his head up and stopped in his tracks. "Tenten…it's not…"

"Mm. Have fun, Neji!" Tenten turned to smile and then ran off once more.

_Getting what I want?_ Neji sighed to himself and continued back on his way. _This wasn't the case. I was doing this because…_ His mind wandered back to that time ago. He could still feel Naruto's warmth leaving his body as Neji carried him in that heavy rain. He remembered Naruto's blood on his clothes…_and on his hands._

"N-Neji-k-kuun."

Neji snapped out of his reminiscing and felt his heart skip a beat. Standing a few feet away from him was Hinata-sama, dressed in a a yellow sundress and sun hat, with a bag of groceries in her hand. She smiled and waved, however her hat quickly flew away towards Neji's direction.

He picked up that hat and cleared his throat as he walked towards her, controlling his legs from dashing. "You should be more careful…with your hat…I mean." He placed the hat on her head and messed her hair up purposely in the process.

"N-Nejii…" she shook her head from his fingers and looked into his eyes, her lips slightly pouting. "S-stop picking on me."

Neji let a chuckle escape his lips and forced himself not to touch her lips. "Mm…you were grocery shopping?"

"Yes, I was running low on some ingredients. Funny that we ran into each other." she giggled. "Do you want to go out for lunch right now?"

Neji nodded and grabbed the groceries from her hand and held it with his arm. "I want barbeque." he requested, as he grabbed her hand and led the way. Neji slightly smiled to himself as he took this advantage to touch her. "You don't mind, do you Hinata-sama?"

Hinata blushed and shook her head. Neji was touching her so casually. She didn't hate it, but it did surprise her. His hands were rough from the training, and she could tell these hands were overworked. However, she liked how they grabbed hers so gently, and she adjusted her fingers so that they could fit perfectly. She had never really properly held hand s with niisan before, and it made her feel lightheaded. She liked this feeling…

Neji could feel Hinata's soft hands in his. They were so small and gentle. A month ago, he would never have thought of doing this, but he had to admit; his relationship with Hinata was becoming closer.

He would often spend his days with her. Before he knew it, seeing her regularly was like a ritual. In the mornings, he would go to check up on her, that is if he didn't spend the night at her place. They would always have lunch together, whether it be at a restaurant or at one of their places. At night, he would spend time with her so that she wouldn't be lonely, and they would keep each other company doing many activities.

However, this would soon change. He needed to go back to his ANBU duties. It reminded him of the other day when he went to talk to Tsunade-sama. Neji was assigned an ANBU mission to gain information on a rebel group against Konohagakure.

"Ne, Hinata-sama. Tomorrow I'm going on a mission."

Hinata turned her head to the side and nodded. "Mm. It's been a while hasn't it?"

Neji nodded and bit his lip. "It might end up keeping me away from Konohogakure for a while…maybe a month." He strengthened his grip on Hinata.

"That's quite long. Be sure to keep yourself in good health, Neji. A month without my nagging." She giggled. "Don't forget to-"

"Don't worry about me." He interrupted. "But…you. Make sure you don't get into trouble." Neji kept quiet for a while as he thought of the right words to say. "I'll…be thinking of you."

Hinata could feel her face shoot up pink. l

"Y-you know…thinking about you being clumsy or such. You shouldn't be so careless. I'll have to ask Tenten to check up on you…and maybe someone should spend the nights with you so that you won't be lonely. Or…"

Hinata stopped and smiled. "N-Neji. Do your best! And I will too. I'm going back to working at the hospital. I need to do my job too! Let's do our best!"

_You're getting what you what aren't you Neji?_

Neji paused. He let go of Hinata's hands and sighed. "O-Oh..we're here." In front of them lied the barbeque restaurant. He went into it and asked for a table for two. _Earlier…_ Neji sat down at the table they were directed at and opened the menu. "It'll be our last time eating together for a while."

Hinata nodded and chuckled. "Let's make the most of it!"

Neji's smile faded away as Hinata looked somewhere else. _She didn't resist it when I held her hand. She didn't push me away when I told her I would be thinking of her. _He could feel the thoughts curl up into a ball in his stomach. His fingers fidgeted as he looked away from Hinata.

_He felt so __**dirty.**_

author: woooh! its been like…three years. HAHA. so I would just like to say, ITS BEEN A REALLY LONG TIME. I never thought I'd be able to update this chapter but thankyou to everyone who has reviewed so far and I hope you guys have enjoyed this chapter.


	6. The Only One For Me

chapter 6:

the only one for me

_**Because in a world of a hundred million people, you came and noticed me.**_

She didn't fall in love at first. It started out just as…admiration.

-

Neji tied the ANBU mask around his head and adjusted it against his face. "Be careful when I'm not here, okay?" he reminded the young Hyuuga woman in front of him.

Hinata nodded and wiped some dust off of Neji's anbu armor. "Mm. Don't worry, Neji."

It was early dawn, and the skies were a dark blue. The air outside was crisp and cold as Hinata gently took the mask off

of Neji and smiled softly. "It'll be a while until I see your face. Let me memorize it before I forget it completely." she joked.

Neji touched the warm cheek of Hinata and ran his fingers down the locks of her hair. "Silly girl. Remember to lock up."

"Neji!"

The two Hyuugas turned around to see a young slim shinobi with short pink hair come up to the ANBU member. She smiled warmly at the two and waved. "Ohayou. Tsunade-sama sent me to accompany your ANBU group in case any medical treatment is needed. We should be going soon."

Neji nodded and put his mask back on. "Hai."

Sakura placed her hands on her hips and examined Hinata for a bit. "You look great Hinata. I heard from Godaime that you were going back to work in the hospital. That's wonderful. Konoha really misses their talented head doctor."

Hinata blushed embarrassingly but thanked Sakura. "A-Arigatou, Sakura-san."

"She sure is cute, Neji-kun. You better be careful around Neji. He might just kidnap you…oh wait. Didn't he kind of already do that?" the pink haired girl chuckled to herself.

"Ne, Sakura." Neji patted her head and cleared his throat. "Stop saying such silly things. Let's go."

Sakura gave a sheepish grin and followed after Neji. "Byeee Hinata-chan!" she shouted, turning her head back to Hinata and smiled.

Hinata watched the two in awe as they left. She had never known Neji and Sakura were so close. Something about the two's aura was peculiar. The Hyuuga heiress left to go back into the house. Her eyes were fixated at the floor as she remembered Neji patting Sakura's head casually. She closed the door with a gentle push as a discomforting feeling spurred within her. Was it _jealousy?_

-

"Tenten! Let's go! Let's go!"

Tenten opened a bottle of water and chugged it down her throat. "Hold up, Lee! We have all the time in the world."

A tall man with a bowl-cut hairdo grinned excitingly and threw a thumbs up sign at the young woman. "I'm excited! Its like our little date! Just you and me. No Neji, no Gai-sensei. Its actually quite weird to not have them around much but I think if I can be stuck with you-"

Tenten squeezed the bottle and splashed Lee's green jumpsuit. "Stop embarrassing me. Alright, lets go."

Lee looked at his pants and gasped. "Tenten! Now it looks like I've..I've had an accident!" He could feel his face turn pink. "I can't go like thiiiiis!"

"Stop pouting mister. Let's go already. Now you're holding us back." Tenten threw the bottle into her bag and walked ahead of her teammate. "Don't embarrass me okay?" She mentioned, as she turned around to look at him. Without noticing, Tenten had accidentally bumped into someone.

"A-Ah…" The person awkwardly lost her balance and tumbled down.

"H-Hinata-chan!" Tenten gasped to herself and quickly picked the Hyuuga woman up by the arm. "I-I'm sorry!" she apologized.

Hinata shook her head and wiped some dirt away on her jacket. "Ahaha. Don't worry about it."

"Hinata-sama. What are you doing here?" asked Rock Lee, running up to the two kunoichis.

"O-oh. I'm working at the hospital again today. I'm actually on my break." Hinata explained. Hinata's eyes traveled down Lee's jumpsuit and she gave Tenten a baffled look. "W-What are you two up to …?"

Tenten hysterically laughed at Hinata's strange facial response to Lee's clothes. "Oh, I just poured water on him. He didn't have an …_accident_. Haha. Lee and I have been training since early early morning and we're going for breakfast right now."

"Oh. Neji's on a mission right now, isn't he, Hinata-sama? Why don't you come with us to lunch?" Lee invited, grinning.

"A-anou…I shouldn't intrude…"

"You're not. Its fine, isn't it Tenten?" Lee asked.

Tenten stared at Hinata, but answered shortly. "A-Ah. Of course its okay. Let's go Hinata." She smiled, grabbing the arm of the heiress and leading her in a direction.

"Its fun to eat out with people. Now lets go eat!" Lee followed. "B-But…let me get a change of clothes first." Hinata giggled slightly. She remembered how Neji would often complain about how immature his teammates were, however he would always have that content look on his face. She was sure Neji had fun.

The three arrived at restaurant and Lee hurried into the men's restrooms. "Order dumplings for me! I'll be back." He sheepishly grinned as he held onto a new change of clothes.

Tenten sighed at her teammate and sat down. "Ah, that Lee. He's so strange sometimes. I mean, its just water. Of course it'll dry."

"Perhaps he doesn't want people to assume the wrong conclusions about him." Hinata giggled, taking a seat across her friend.

Tenten shrugged and rested her chin on her wrist. Her eyes wandered towards Hinata and she bit her lip. _She looks much happier now. _"Hm. Hinata, do you miss Neji when he's not by your side?"

Hinata gasped slightly and fumbled with her fingers. "A-Ah…w-well…Neji and I h-have gotten closer …and…"

"Isn't Neji such a dork sometimes?" Tenten laughed, changing the subject. She mentally smacked herself for asking Hinata that question. It wasn't right of her to ask something so personal and regardless of that…Tenten wasn't sure she wanted to hear the answer.

The Hyuuga heiress awkwardly agreed. "Y-Yeah."

"I mean, I've been in his team for the longest of times, and I don't think he's ever had a good laugh. Sometimes, he just needs to loosen up. Don't you agree?"

Hinata smiled softly and chuckled at this. "I-Its true…but, when he does laugh, I can't help but draw comfort in that." she pushed her fingers against each other and turned a light pink. "His smile…is like snow. Its simple and the more he smiles, the more it falls into a pile. And before you know it, it blankets you and…well, it clears my head."

Tenten widened her eyes and looked away from Hinata. "H-hah…that's…very interesting…" She pushed herself up from her seat and walked towards the restroom. "I-I'm going to use it really quick." And with that the, she opened the door to the one roomed restroom and closed it quickly. Leaning against the door, Tenten looked towards the ground and sighed. _Hinata is falling in love with him…_ She bit her lip and shut her eyes. She didn't want this to happen. She didn't want Hinata to like Neji. Tenten clenched her fists and dropped towards the floor, covering her face with her knees_. I don't want to lose Neji._

Her mind began to wander to the first time she met the Hyuuga prodigy. It wasn't anything special really. The day was more than ordinary but still laid embedded in her mind.

She didn't fall in love at first. It started out just as…admiration.

Tenten never had many friends. In fact, she had no one. She was never interested in playing with dolls, nor was she interested in playing tag. The real object of her admiration were weapons. Shurikens, kunais, weapon scrolls; anything that could have been thrown or were dangerous. She didn't mind being alone either. Since childhood, she was used to this and it was never a big deal to her.

(flashback)

"Stop playing with your toys!" a young boy had shouted as he pushed Tenten's desk, causing her weapons to fall on the ground. "You never talk. What, you think you're better than us?"

Tenten didn't respond. Instead, she fell on her knees to pick up her fallen belongings.

The boy's friends came and surrounded the young girl. He leaned against the desk next to hers and stepped on her fingers. "Answer you freak!"

Tenten could feel a spurge of anger shoot up within her. Before she could push the boy's feet off, someone had already done it. She looked up to see a boy with long hair and pearly white eyes.

"You're on my desk, you moron." he pushed the boy once more and sat down. "Your voice is annoying."

"A-Ah…s-sorry Neji…w-we'll go now." the boy backed away and left the classroom with his friends.

Tenten sighed to herself and picked up all the weapons. _Great…_ she though to herself. _Another macho-macho boy._ She got back up and sat down. Spreading her weapons across her desk, she admired them once more. Her favorite one was the silver shuriken to the right of her desk. It was given to her by her father before he died. He had traveled across nations to have a customly made shuriken.

"That's a nice piece of collection you have there." mumbled the boy next to her. "Especially that one to your right. It looks like it was made in the land of lightning."

Tenten raised her eye brow and turned to the boy. "How can you tell?"

He got up and picked up the shuriken. "In Konoha, we don't have this material. Ours are comprised of a different metal. This one is made of a special metal that you can only obtain in the land of Lightning because of their different environment. When you melt this metal to make it into a shuriken, its durability and speed equals ten times the normal shuriken. Of course, it's quite expensive to make this and most of the times, people wouldn't spend that much just to have it thrown at someone else. Its usually for collecting."

Tenten widened her eyes and quickly took back the shuriken. "Y-Yeah…my dad was really into weapons…and he gave me this."

"You're father is a genuine collector then." Neji smiled.

She remembered his smile back then. It was much different from now. He was innocent and lively then, when the world's corruption hadn't yet breached him.

But that wasn't the reason she called out to him.

The days since their first conversation had passed but Tenten never once forgot it. In class, she would secretly peek at what the young Hyuuga was doing. He always seemed to be doing something efficient and Tenten sighed to herself. He was a prodigy and she was the below average student who only cared about weapons. Something about him made her want to make him look at her. Tenten bit the tip of her pencil as she looked up at front of the classroom. She wanted to talk to him…just once more.

The boys in the class would still pick on her.

It was that late afternoon that changed everything. Tenten had stayed late that day so that she could practice throwing her weapons. If there was one thing she was proud of, she was proud of her accuracy. No one could beat her at this; not even Hyuuga Neji.

She never used the special shuriken to throw however. It was like the soul of her father was in it. Instead, she left it untouched, as if her father was there to guide her with it.

"Hey, look who we have here?"

Tenten turned around and gasped. It was the boys of her classroom again.

"That's a nice looking shuriken." the boy picked it up and examined it. "You don't mind if we take it, do you?"

"STOP IT!" she yelled, running towards him. She was sure to tackle him until the other boys pinned her down.

Grinning, the boy threw his tongue at her and dashed out of view. Tenten felt a sickening feeling in her stomach as the boys all laughed. She was disgusted at them. Extending her hand to the nearest thing she could get a hold of, Tenten wrapped her fingers around a pile of dirt and threw it at the boys' eyes. The boys let go of her and her legs raced after the bully.

She could catch up to him…she _knew it._

The boy had just crossed the bridge towards the other side of town when he turned around to see Tenten following him.

"GIVE IT BACK!" she screamed, when she reached the other side of the bridge.

The boy panicked and looked around him. His legs were cramping up and he knew he would be caught. Just under them was the drifting waterway that eventually led to a river. He smirked and held the shurikens hostage in his fingers. "Come any closer and I drop them!" he threatened.

Tenten clenched her teeth and glared at the boy. "Give it back!"

"This is a stupid shuriken anyways. I don't need _crap_ like this." He cocked his head to the side and smiled at Tenten. She knew what was coming.

"NO!" her voice shaked as she tackled him. But it was already too late. He had let go of the shurikens and they were lost in the water now. Tenten could feel the tears well up inside of her. Her precious shurikens…were gone.

The boy pushed himself up and stepped on her fingers. "Don't touch me ever again." And with that, he left her by herself. Night was approaching but Tenten couldn't bring herself to get up.

_It was gone…_ she thought to herself. _Her father's last gift to her…was gone._

Tenten shook her head in disbelief and peered into the waterway below her. She couldn't give up that easily. If she did, it would be as if she was letting her father down. Tenten climbed the edge of the bridge and closed her eyes. She _had_ to do it. It was at that moment that she jumped into the water with a splash. It was freezing cold but that didn't matter to her. She would find it, even if her body froze to death.

The next day, Tenten hadn't came to school. However, no one seemed to care about the missing girl.

"Tenten's mother called in to tell us that Tenten is sick." The teacher pressed her fingers against her lips. "Hyuuga-san. Would you drop off her assignment at her house?"

Neji nodded and put the homework assignment in his bag. "Hai."

Her house was in a small quiet neighborhood. When Neji rang the doorbell, no one answered. Turning the knob, he found that the door was never locked. "Tenten-san?" he called out.

Neji closed the door behind him and squinted his eyes. It was awful dark in the house. "Are you in here?" he continued down the hall and looked around. Ahead of him was an open door. Perhaps she was in there.

"H-Hyuuga-kun…"

Neji went inside the room to find Tenten on a bed. "You weren't here today. The teacher asked me to bring your assignment for you."

Tenten could feel her face burn up. She wasn't sure if it was because of her fever or because Neji himself was in her room. "A-arigatou…" She pushed herself up to sit but fell back down.

"Its okay. Just lay down." He sat on the side of her bed and sighed. "Are you always alone in the house?"

"Kaa-san is always working at the market." she shifted her body to the side. "And chichue is gone."

"Ooh. I see. You should take care of yourself then. I'm sure your mother is worried about you."

Tenten shrugged and coughed to herself.

Neji examined the room and saw all the weapons laid carefully on her desk. "You have even more in your house. But the one the other day is missing. Did you lose it?"

"They threw it in the water." Tenten mumbled. She tightly held the blanket around her. "I-I thought I could get it back…but its gone."

The Hyuuga turned to look at her. She was trying hard not to cry.

"Chichue gave it to me just before he was killed. H-He loved weapons and always talked about them. When he d-died…I thought if I kept his ambitions alive…I-I would stop feeling..so a-alone…" She let the tears drip down her cheeks this time. Tenten wasn't sure why she kept spouting out this nonsense to Neji. He could care less, she was sure. "But I failed. I'm nothing b-but a…careless stupid girl! I lost it…and tried to find it but its gone." Her voice was shakey now and Tenten was terribly embarrassed. "I-I spent all night looking for it under the bridge…but it probably drifted into the river b-by now…"

Neji got up and cleared his throat. "I should get going. Get some rest, Tenten-san. Please get better so you can come to school tomorrow okay?"

Tenten didn't turn to look at the boy. _He thinks…I'm stupid now. _She continued crying and covered her head with the blanket. _Now I can never talk to him again._

The next morning was agonizing. Tenten's fever had gone away and she was slowly recovering. Her mother forced her to go back to school and Tenten dreaded the whole day. When she arrived at school, she saw the boy who had thrown her shurikens into the water but she looked away. All she wanted to do was avoid him, even if he would threaten her. However, he had seemed to be avoiding her too.

Tenten forced her legs into the classroom and sat down on her same old desk. She rested her head against it and sighed. _Back to this terrible place._

"Look inside your desk."

Tenten shot up and saw Neji. He smiled at her and pointed at her desk. She raised an eyebrow and ran her fingers inside to find a box. When she took it out, she gave a puzzled look to the prodigy. He simply grinned. Slowly opening it, Tenten gasped. In perfect condition were the shurikens. "H-How?"

"I had some free time…so." Neji looked up to the ceiling. "How should I say it? I guess I found them under the bridge."

Tenten covered her eyes with her arm. "Y-You…actually…"

"And don't worry about those boys. They won't bother you anymore. I'm sure of it." Neji sat on his desk and sneezed. "A-ah…"

She was sure he was a hundred percent crazy by now. That boy who sat next to her, acted macho and tried to be like a gentlemen. Honestly, gentlemen in this time of era? She hiccupped as the tears streamed down her face. "N-Now _you're _sick…" she chuckled.

The prodigy laughed and sneezed once more. "Haha. That's alright."

That was the day Tenten fell in love with his laugh; his gentle, sweet, kind laugh.

"_His smile…is like snow. Its simple and the more he smiles, the more it falls into a pile. And before you know it, it blankets you and…well, it clears my head."_

Tenten snapped out of her reminiscing. She sighed to herself. She really should be going back to the table with Hinata and Lee. Pushing her legs up, Tenten splashed her face with water and forced a smile.

_After that, Neji went through a sort of berserk moment of his life. When his father died, he never smiled like that again. But when I got put into the same team, I was still extremely happy._

She opened the door to the restroom and took a breath of air.

_I wanted to be the one to put a smile on his face. But he let go of his innocence and all he could talk about was how he hated the Hyuugas…and Hinata-chan._

"Were you doing a number two, Tenten?" Lee asked.

"What the hell are you wearing!?" Tenten yelled, smacking the man with the palm of hand. Lee was wearing a red Hawaiian shirt with short beige shorts.

"Its my summer attire!" He whined.

_When we became a team, we had great memories. But you were suffering all alone, weren't you Neji? _Tenten sat back down and grunted. "I told you not to embarrass me. Hinata, isn't he embarrassing?"

Hinata giggled and shook her head. "I think its adorable."

_But this girl changed you. You started to smile like you did once more._ "I'll have soba!" Tenten excitingly called out. _Now you continue to laugh and smile with no regrets, just like you allowed me to do. _

"I'll have that too." Hinata grinned.

_I wonder if you remember me crying so childishly that day. I guess that was when it happened… _

"Where's the waiter anyways?" Tenten asked, looking around. "WAITERR!"

"Now _you're _embarrassing us. Tenten, stop it!" Lee whispered, trying to cover her mouth.

Tenten laughed and got up. "We're starvinggg! Waiter, waiter!"

_When you changed my life._

_Because in a world of a hundred million people, you came and noticed me._

_I'm in love with you, Hyuuga Neji._

author: heeey readers! it has been quite a long time. haha. well this chapter was basically about how tenten felt about neji. I hope you guys liked this chapter. please review and tell me how you guys felt about it! hehe. thankkyou.


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